It’s time for an exciting Premier League weekend, where Arsenal play.....It’s almost as bad as an international break, though at least like this you can laugh at various other sides and not have to worry about Abou Diaby being forced to play 120 minutes of a game, including a whole half hour by himself before the game, carrying rocks with his legs.

PSG come a knockin’

Arsene Wenger has  been linked ad infinitum with PSG this season, with there being talk that the French club will try and dislodge him this summer. Of course, their offer of Middle Eastern riches may not be a deal-maker soon, if talk about Arab consortiums has any basis in fact.

Despite PSG coming out and saying Carlo Ancelotti can keep his job next season if he wants it, there are rumours that he has already agreed to replace Jose Mourinho at Real next season, leaving a vacancy.

Now, Mourinho may seem ready-made to manage PSG, but a PSG representative has suggested that a French coach is something the team are interested in and would encourage:

“A French coach could help the club in terms of popularity. That is one aspect the owner sees as very important.”

And if there’s a more high-profile French coach about, I can’t think of him. This will be one to watch in coming months.

Yaya Sano-who?

This isn’t one for the easily annoyed. Ligue 2 side AJ Auxerre, who supplied Arsenal with Abou Diaby and Bacary Sagna in the past, now seem set to give Arsenal another player. 20 year-old Yaya Sanogo has averaged a goal per game since returning from a double leg break, and with his contract expiring in the summer, it seems that Arsene Wenger has held talks with the French forward over a pre-contract agreement. These talks appear advanced.

Now, if there’s one thing that will annoy Arsenal fans demanding established talent, it’s the signing of a 20 year-old, on a free, from a second-tier French side. One would hope he’s not being seen as a first-team steadfast, but more as someone to look out for, which would be fine, but the message it sends out isn’t exactly a good one.

Build around Kos

I had planned an in-depth look at Arsenal’s defensive woes, but there isn’t really a huge amount to say, when you look into it.

Arsenal don’t have poor defenders, or necessarily poor defensive tactics. The much-maligned high line played against Spurs wasn’t an issue, providing the defenders stuck to it. They didn’t always. In effect, Arsenal’s centre-backs aren’t all good enough to defend the way Arsene Wenger wants them to.

Thomas Vermaelen has some serious issues, and it’s not really worth waiting to see if he can sort them out, while Per Mertesacker is slow but less error-prone.

There’s only really space for one of those two in our defence, as their flaws don’t especially complement each other. Which is why I feel our defence needs to be built around Laurent Koscielny. Once he reaches full fitness he’s not especially error-prone, and he’s one of the fastest defenders in the league. His recoveries are excellent, so when he is caught out we won’t suffer as often. He’s best played as a left-sided centre-back, so Vermaelen is out, and with the purchase of a more mobile right centre-back, such as Schalke’s Benedikt Howedes, he would form part of a very effective defensive unit.

That’s not to say Mertesacker is a bad player. He is unfairly maligned by so many fans, who can’t look past the fact that he’s quite slow, but he’s probably not a starter in a title-winning side. Excellent backup though.

Arsenal don’t play until midweek, so try and stay sane until then. And then after that, once we’re out of the Champions League.

Latest: